Consistent distances between murders?

[lynn cates]

Foster

Hello Barrister. Welcome to the boards.

Foster, at inquest, claimed 1144 yards.

Cheers.
LC

[Bridewell]

Hello Barrister. Welcome to the boards.

Foster, at inquest, claimed 1144 yards.

Cheers.
LC

That's not going to be far off, if an appropriate deduction is made, from the below, for the shorter route available to a pedestrian:-

http://www.theaa.com/route-planner/index.jsp#fromNode=18260052059438%7CHenriques%20Street,%20Whitechapel%7CSTREET%7C534330%7C181252%7CtoNode=18260052007033%7CMitre%20Square,%20Aldgate%7CSTREET%7C533460%7C181185

[Nemo]

...I'm surprised that in a field where people have seized on every minor detail and coincidence, they've missed the lunar one.

Hi Damaso

Lyttleton Stewart Forbes Winslow, a prominent alienist of the time received a letter in October 1889 which he later professed to have received in Oct 1888 and that it predicted the murder of Kelly

The lunar theory featured prominently in his claims as follows...

An interesting fact about these murders was the influence which the moon apparently appeared to exert upon them. The theory is that lunatics are strongly influenced at the various periods when the moon changes.

I have often noticed this myself, and in tracing the dates in which these respective murders were committed one cannot but be impressed by the fact that they were either committed when the new moon rose, or when the moon had entered upon its last quarter.

In only one murder was this proved to be incorrect, that is,the murder of 9th November 1888, the one in which I received a letter warning me of what would happen.

The murder was just one day beyond its time, and, to accord with the theory I am now stating, the murder should have been committed on the 7th of November ; but I will draw attention to the fact that it was evident that the murder was contemplated about that time, as in the letter I received in October 1888 the writer told me that the murder would be committed either on the 7th or the 9th...

Also, Aleister Crowley the magician supposedly commented on the astrological significance of the murder dates so I expect him to have considered the phases of the Moon etc...

In the course of conversation with Aleister Crowley this matter came up, and the magician was very impressed with O'Donnell's argument. He suggested an astrological investigation. Was there anything significant about the times of the murders? O'Donnell's investigations had led him to the conclusion that the murderer had attached the greatest importance to accuracy in the time. O'Donnell, accordingly, furnished Crowley with the necessary data, and figures of the heavens were set up.

A brief digression about astrological theory: the classical tradition is that the malefic planets are Saturn and Mars, and although any of the planets may in certain circumstances bring about misfortune, it is to these two that the astrologer looks first of all for indications of things going wrong.

Some years before this conversation, however, Crowley had made extensive statistical enquiries into astrology. There is a small book called A Thousand and One Horoscopes which includes a considerable number of nativities, not only of murderers, but of persons murdered. Crowley thought this an excellent opportunity to trace the evil influence of the planets, looking naturally first of all to Saturn, the great misfortune, then to Mars, the lesser misfortune; but also to Uranus, a planet not known to the ancients, but generally considered of a highly explosive tendency. The result of Crowley's investigations was staggering; there was one constant element in all cases of murder, both of the assassin and the murdered. Saturn, Mars, and Herschel were indeed rightly suspected of doing dirty work at the crossroads, but the one constant factor was a planet which had until that moment been considered, if not actively beneficent, at least perfectly indifferent and harmless -- the planet Mercury. Crowley went into this matter very thoroughly and presently it dawned on his rather slow intelligence that after all this was only to be expected; the quality of murder is not primarily malice, greed, or wrath; the one essential condition without which deliberate murder can hardly ever take place, is just this cold-bloodedness, this failure to attribute the supreme value of human life. Armed with these discoveries the horoscopes of the Whitechapel murders shone crystal clear to him. In every case, either Saturn of Mercury were precisely on the Eastern horizon at the moment of the murder (by precisely, one means within a matter of minutes).

Mercury is, of course, the God of Magic, and his averse distorted image the Ape of Thoth, responsible for such evil trickery as is the heart of black magic, while Saturn is not only the cold heartlessness of age, but the magical equivalent of Saturn. He is the old god who was worshiped in the Witches' Sabbath.

Naturally, to his devotees, Saturn is not to be associated with misfortune redeunt saturnia regna;1 Saturn has all the fond wisdom of the grandfather.

[lynn cates]

2/3

Hello Colin. Thanks. That checks out as about 2/3 of a mile--not the 3/4 that is sometimes quoted.

Cheers.
LC

[Michael W Richards]

The distances between murders must be considered incidental, because surely no-one reasonably believes that the murderer went out specific distances to find his prey.....he was opportunistic, he killed them where they were...not where he wanted or chose to kill.

That isnt to say that all Canonical deaths were the result of the victim being in the wrong place at the wrong time....since we still have many possible motives for some of the murders aside from mental illness and compulsions.

Far more murders are the result of emotional turmoil or financial issues then a desire to kill people. Anyone can kill if provoked properly...few kill just because they feel a need to take life.

Cheers